Sky Ferreira – ‘Leash‘
Newly independent and heading up the forthcoming Babygirl soundtrack, Sky Ferreira’s first single since 2022 is a doozy, merging 80s synths with something that feels more inherently trapped in 2013; the call-and-response double-layered chorus, the moody countdown, the scuzzy vocoders that all hark back to indie sleaze. In the words of one YouTube commenter, “MOTHER IS BACK AND TUMBLR GEN KNOWS IT”
Alessi Rose – ‘Pretty World‘
Fast-rising, Derby-born star Alessi Rose offers up the last taster of her forthcoming ep in the form of anti-imposter syndrome anthem ‘Pretty World’. Dedicated to the thrill of seeing all her dreams come true in 2024, it splits the perfect sonic difference between country, baroque-pop and the melodramatics of emo, explaining exactly why she’s going down so well with fans of Gracie Abrams, Sabrina Carpenter and Taylor Swift.
Brooke Coombe – ‘This Town’
With the spring of northern soul in her step, the carefree violin of Brooke Coombe’s ‘This Town’ is the perfect foil for her mediations of growing up and getting out from “where nothing good ever really goes on / nothing around but faces and frowns”. Expect her to go even further places in 2025.
Mary In The Junkyard – ‘Bear Walk‘
Reconnecting with their folk roots, ‘Bear Walk’ lets the sugar work vocals of MITJ’s Clari-Freeman Taylor take centre stage. Sweet yet seemingly liable to snap, it’s a tale of spirit guides and wilding energy, begging their “city boy” lover to remember their time in the woods: “I hoped the dirt would stay under your fingernails”.
Hildegard – ‘No Other Mind‘
With poise and stillness, there is an understated beauty to ‘No Other Mind’ that feels like the total product of its environment. Composed by Montreal-based multi-instrumentalists Helena Deland and Ouri during snowy sessions in rural Quèbec, it glitters with quiet R&B elegance, channelling ‘Blond’-era Frank Ocean at his most romantic.
